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Friday Oct. 30th 6:30pm-8pm
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Principal Perspectives
Dan Greenberg
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A Plan Makes All the Difference
Have you ever heard the saying a goal without a plan is just a wish? I ran across it the other day when I was sorting through my social media feeds and it struck me that what many of us are guilty of doing is wishing instead of goal setting. We talk lots about Habit 2 Begin with the end in mind, but I wonder if we do enough talking about how to plan for arriving at that end? We discuss Habit 3 Putting first things first, but do our young people understand that you need to relentlessly focus on the most important things in order to accomplish a goal?
So, how do we encourage our students to set goals and create plans that will help them accomplish them? Here are a few good places to start:
- Be ambitious...but not too ambitious. If I've never run a single mile in my life setting a goal to run a marathon might not be the first place to start. There's nothing wrong with dreaming big, but looking at feasible goals that will get you to something big is a good place to start. If you want to work on reading 100 books in a year, perhaps the best place to start is to set a goal for the week.
- Be specific. When I speak to students who are sometimes struggling with their behavior they will often tell me that they want to have "a good day". While an admirable goal, simply being good isn't specific enough to really create change. In this case working on not shouting out, or staying in your
 seat, or keeping your hands to yourself is a more specific, manageable goal that will work towards the larger end result. Working in smaller chunks can make an overwhelming task more attainable. - Find a way to hold yourself accountable besides simply setting the goal itself. I consider social media to be one of the biggest accountability systems available to people today. If you want to be held accountable for a goal, post it for the world to see and let the masses motivate you :) Our young people don't have access to social media on that scale (yet!), but if we want to help children meet their goals we need to help them develop an accountability system that helps them understand that we are on their team and that while we can't do the work for them, we can be their cheerleader along the way.
Goal setting doesn't get any easier as you get older and the more I think about it, the more important the skill of setting goals and putting systems in place to attain them is truly becoming. We talk lots about the gifts we hope to impart on our students while they are in elementary school, I believe helping them become autonomous learners and productive leaders are among them.
As we head into the fall holiday season I have my own goals that involve Halloween candy and enjoying the outdoors as the temperature drops. I welcome all of you to hold me accountable :)
#conditproud
Dan
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The Project Advisory Team
The construction of the new school continues to progress in leaps and bounds. Every day, it feels like there are new sections of red, steel beams forming the structure of the school.
Thank you to all of the students, parents, neighbors, alumni and faculty for participating in the beam signing. It was a great way to celebrate "hands on" and commemorate this important stage of construction.
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PTO News
Peggy Chang - PTO President
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PTO News - October
Happy Fall! As many of our Condit families already know, we can't officially kick off the fall season without having our annual Halloween Parade. It will be held on Friday, October 30 at 2pm. Grab your cameras and come out to watch our classes march around campus in their costumes!
We will also have a costume collection for new or lightly used children's costumes in all sizes. The donation box will be set up in front of the office until October 29. On the morning of the parade, we will distribute the costumes to those students who wish to dress up but do not have a costume for the parade.
Our RFTS Family Campaign is in full swing and I'd like to thank all our Condit families who have already contributed. We have reached the halfway mark to our $65K goal! RFTS is by far our biggest fundraiser and all the money we are able to bring in now, helps us to pay for all the wonderful enrichment programs and special events for the rest of the school year.
To all our 4th and 5th Grade Parents! We have invited Rachel Burgan, the magnet coordinator for Pershing, to come to our next PTO meeting on November 2 at 8am in the library. She will be able to provide the most up to date information about the magnet application process and answer any questions you may have. I hope to see you at the meeting!
Congratulations to our UIL Team! They placed 2nd overall in the first HISD Elementary meet of the year and we had 56 medal winners! We are so proud of you! I'd like to thank our UIL parent coaches: Deirdre Rozowski, Suzi Nelson, Kim Chau, Tuni Kundu, David Minces, Rasika Chetlurr & Anita Metha for the time and dedication you put in to our UIL team. And a special thank you to Sarah Rogers, our teacher coach. If your child is interested in joining the UIL Team, please contact Deirdre Rozowski at rozowski5@gmail.com.
A BIG Thank You to our PTO Stars!
- Meredith Vela & Heidi Dholakia for organizing an awesome Fall Carnival. It was a perfect way to spend the day outdoors!
- Julia Tamm & Beth Lemon for all their efforts in putting together our Directory. Our amazing Directory Co-Chairs have put in countless hours to make our student directory, which generated over $15,000 in revenue for our RFTS Business Campaign.
- Holly Koehn & the Sociables Committee for throwing a fun night out with our Real Housewives of Bellaire Party. Thank you Cynthia Gowda for inviting us into your fabulous home!
- Ali Septimus, Diane Negro & Ann Goldfarb for putting together our first Fun Run and raising over $45K for our school. It was a HUGE success! Also, a BIG thank you to all our sponsors: Judge Kyle Carter, Houston Methodist Primary Care Group, Bellaire Business Association, Southwest News & Frost Bank.
 
- Laurie Gorgollo, Diane Negro & 5th Grade Parent Volunteers for setting up this month's Staff Appreciation {Italian Feast}. The delicious lasagna was donated by Auntie Pastos.
I hope you have fun trick or treating with your family! Happy October!
Peggy Chang
Save the Date for our Upcoming Events!
· October 28 | Kids Bowling Bash | 1-2:30 pm
· October 30 | Halloween Parade | 2 pm
· November 2 | PTO Meeting | 8 am | Library
· November 3-6 | Book Fair
· November 11 | CNO | Samurai Steakhouse & Sushi
· November 13 | Staff Appreciation | Fall Harvest {4th Grade}
· November 19 | Magnet Tour | 9 am
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Mrs. Pete's 5th Grade Class
How We Used the 7 Habits during Boosterthon!
Edited by: Brenda Rojas and Giselle Gonzalez While raising a lot of money for our school, we still kept our 7 habits in full swing! We used the seven habits on all levels. Here are a few habits we used along the way:
Being proactive: We were respectful to others and encouraged others while they were running their laps. We also made sure that we tried to get as many pledges as possible even though we were away at Camp most of the time.
Begin with the end in mind: We began with the end in mind by looking at the goal for the new benches for our new school and why it was important to our school. Once the big piece was in place, we worked on the smaller steps to meet our goals.
Put first things first: We listened to the instructions of Coach Ike. Once we saw the big picture of what we needed to do, we worked on our goals to get donations.
Think Win Win: We were in Win Win mode by being cheerful to everyone even though their goals were smaller. It was all for a good cause. It did not matter. We all ran together. Seek first to understand and then to be understood: We carefully listened how to earn a money lap and then we shared that information to our pledgers.
Synergize: We worked as a team to make money for our new school. Everyone~ kids, teachers, parents, friends, Mr. Greenberg and his staff, Coach Ike and Coach Logan.
Sharpen the Saw: We did this by having fun in the sunshine and being fair. We also sharpen our saws by getting our bodies moving and getting plenty of exercise! So, in conclusion, it does not matter what we do. The 7 habits always seem to shine through!
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Dr. Supriya Ramanathan 
Influenza in Children (Flu)
Influenza or 'The flu' is a notorious seasonal viral infection that typically starts around October, peaks around January/February and declines by April/May. It may peak more than once. It is unpredictable! Infection can range from no symptoms to a cold like mild illness to a severe infection with complications like ear infections, asthma flares, pneumonia and more. Hospitalization and sometimes death can also occur. The viral strains can change over time! The body cannot retain immunity for long after infection or vaccination. It is possible to get the flu more than once in a season! Not fun! And yes, you can get the flu even after you get the vaccine but chances are you will not become severely ill with it. Such is the nature of this changing beast that vaccination may not always prevent infection. The symptoms can vary as well. Fever with or without chills, body aches, sore throat, runny nose, tiredness, cough and headache may occur. In young children, there may be more vomiting and diarrhea. Fever need not always be present. Just like any cold, only with the potential to be much worse! The illness lasts 5-7 days though cough can easily last for 2 weeks. Who is most susceptible? The very young (less than 2 years) and the elderly are more likely to develop complications. Young children and people with health problems like diabetes, heart disease, asthma and weakened immune systems tend to fare worse than others. Is it contagious? The incubation period is around 2 days and an infected child is contagious for around 7 days. Typically the infection spreads by droplet (coughing, sneezing) and contact (touching a contaminated surface). It is advisable for those who have the flu to stay home till they are not contagious for their own sake as well as to prevent transmission. Influenza Vaccines 2015-16: The viral strains include 2 Influenza A viruses and 2 Influenza B viruses. The quadrivalent vaccine has all 4 strains, the trivalent has the 2 A strains and 1 B strain (no preference). The strains are different from those in last year's vaccine. The most commonly used vaccines are the intranasal live vaccine for healthy folks age 2-49 years only, (the spray!) and the inactivated vaccine (the shot!) which can be given to all those over 6 months old. Remember the flu mist is a live vaccine and can give you mild symptoms of the flu. The flu shot can cause a fever but does not cause flu like symptoms. Both are safe and effective. Getting immunized early in the season is best but it is never too late to get it! Who should be vaccinated? The vaccine is recommended for all ages but particularly for those aged 6 months to 5 years and those with any chronic illness or a weak immune system. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends annual universal vaccination. Those who have household members who are young children, particularly infants under 6 months or who are in the high risk category are highly recommended to be immunized (cocooning a susceptible person). Treatment: Medications are available to treat the flu and it is best to seek care early. Treatment started in the first 48 hours is most effective but can also be started later. In kids, Oseltamivir is most commonly used as it works with both Influenza A and B. It is usually taken twice daily for 5 days. It can also be used to prevent contacts from getting sick by taking it once daily for 7 days. Rest, hydration and pain relief are important! In summary, the flu is a common, mild to very severe infection that occurs seasonally and affects a fairly large percentage of the population each year. Prevention via vaccine and medication as well as rapid diagnosis and treatment are available. Seek immunization as well as treatment when needed, early!! Enjoy the beautiful fall weather, have a safe and happy Halloween!
Supriya Ramanathan, MD , FAAP (Condit Parent and Pediatrician)
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